Spring ain't all that Springy (and that's OK with me)!

Breathe in the crisp air, feel the warm sunshine, listen to the soft swish of your skis gliding over the drifts...

It seems that Mother Nature threw in the towel on Spring this year. That, or maybe she's just vacationing somewhere tropical and we need to wait til she gets back before we hit a thaw. Yes, it's the last week of March, but there are still drifts out there that are over my head.Yesterday was a very relaxing day, and I decided to dig out my cross country skis and explore the back 40. I had not skied in years, and only recently found some new-to-me 3 pin boots for my old skis. The snow out here is deeeep. The wind has polished most of it to be hard enough on top that I could glide over it, but there were quite a few spots where I broke through, and had to work to get my skis back on top of the snow again. BIG workout!

I even found a hill to slide down, which was exhilarating. Getting to the bottom, though, I broke through into a very deep drift, my skis caught, and I wiped out. It took me almost 5 minutes to get UP again, and involved removing a ski and floundering around, laughing at myself. It couldn't have been a lovelier day for getting outside. It was cold enough that I didn't overhead with the exertion, it was gorgeously sunny (and I was glad to have my sunglasses!) and it was peaceful and quiet. The air was so fresh and the sun so warm on my face it just filled me with total joy. After coming in, I settled down with a mock hot buttered rum - my dear husband Jim thoughtfully measured a half a tablespoon of Splenda Brown into a mug with cinnamon, nutmeg, dark spiced rum and hot water. Jim is a great cook, but when he knows I'm tracking calories extra carefully, he will measure, just for me. My Hot Not-Buttered Rum was so good I didn't even notice there wasn't butter in it. So yummy. I think I'll try making it with Truvia and molasses next time, to give it some potassium, not to mention nothing artificial.

A little while ago, Women's Health said that alcohol can slow your metabolism down by 70%. That's so huge, so I've been seriously limiting my intake. I know that skiing ramped it up for me, so I'm hoping I kinda broke even.Last night's supper involved deep frying. My 9 year old son found whole squid in the freezer section at Superstore, and he is a nut about all things ocean-related. Of course he used his own money and bought this 2lb box of squid. And of course, since it was his idea, I made sure that it was his job to clean them. (Gutting slimy squid isn't all that appetizing to me.) That became a fun educational extra for the boys, though, and we ended up looking up all kids of things about squid and other cephalopods. Then I battered them lightly in a quinoa-flour based dredge, and we fried them up. Delicious!

Today is another gorgeous, bright and sunny day. I would still classify it as a "Winter" day and not a "Spring" day, but I'm counting my blessings. With the last 5 days of snow storms all across the prairies, complete with lots of car accidents in the news, my Facebook newsfeed has been flooded with news stories and photos. There's the snow plow drifted almost completely over (with a rescue snowmobile alongside), photos of cars in ditches and of that passenger train that was stuck in the snow for more than 24 hours... I've got absolutely no complaints. Actually, it was kinda nice; Jim came home early from work on Thursday due to bad weather, and stayed for a nice long weekend, which was just lovely, and we didn't go anywhere or fill our weekend with things-that-have-to-be-done.

To inspire you embrace your plate for today, I'd like to share one of my favourite breakfast/lunches with you. It is full of flavour and energy, and keeps me full through a busy day. I welcome your comments - let me know what you think. See you soon!

TL's E.A.T. Sandwich

One or two slices of toast, or english muffin (I used half a gluten free muffin, here)

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TobyLauren is a happy wife and mother of 4. She lives a rich and very full life as business manager for a home education administration, while also tag-teaming the home education of her own children with her talented husband. They raise their kids, their 10,000 square foot garden and their chickens on 30 acres in the middle of rolling farmland.
TobyLauren's passions include back-to-basics living, cooking, art, music, history, literature, homemaking and homesteading.